1. Field of Invention
This invention is generally aimed at chlorinators. More specifically, this invention is a chlorinator for fluid in an aerobic waste treatment system, swimming pool, or similar system having a contained flowing fluid requiring chlorination. The invention allows the associated fluid flow to contact all sides of at least one of the chlorine tablets held by the chlorinator, that includes a chlorine supply mechanism which ensures that the chlorine tablets slide and do not become lodged therein even after substantial use. The chlorinator has a sensor that detects and activates an alarm when the chlorine supply reaches below a pre-determined level.
2. Related Art
Chlorinators are known to the prior art. Illustrative of such chlorinators are U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,073 issued to Hopcroft on Jul. 11, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,624 issued to Price on Jul. 1, 1980; U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,106 issued to Held on Apr. 22, 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,896 issued to Graves on May 4, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,512 issued to Tang on Sep. 27, 1994; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,540 issued to Tang on Apr. 11, 1995.
Typical prior art chlorinators include a cylinder portion that holds a plurality of chlorine tablets. Normnally, the lowermost chlorine tablet is the chlorine tablet that primarily actively treats the wastewater. The lowermost tablet usually rests on the lowermost end of the cylinder portion, which lowermost end typically has no openings therethrough. Because the lowermost end of the cylinder portion of a prior art chlorinator typically has no openings therethrough, the lowermnost tablet does not come into contact with the water flow on its underside, namely the surface of the chlorine tablet that abuts the lowermost end of the cylinder portion. The treatment and chlorination of the water flow would be enhanced and increased if the water flow would come into contact with all sides of at least one of the chlorine tablets, namely the lowermost chlorine tablet. Therefore, it would be beneficial to the prior art to provide a chlorinator that allows the associated water flow to contact all sides of at least one of the chlorine tablets held by the chlorinator.
In many prior art chlorinators, the chlorine tablets become lodged to the inside surface of the cylinder portion, preventing the proper operation of the chlorinator. It is important that the chlorine tablets slide and do not stick inside the cylinder portion of the chlorinator. This is important not only when the chlorine tablets are initially inserted, but also as the lowermost tablet dissolves allowing the other tablets to slide down by gravity towards the lowermost end of the cylinder portion. The prior art would therefore benefit from a chlorinator that includes a mechanism that ensures that the chlorine tablets slide and do not get stuck to the inside surface of the cylinder portion even after substantial use. It would be further beneficial to the prior art if such mechanism does not react with the chlorine tablets thereby enabling the chlorine tablets to retain their relevant treatment properties.
Prior art chlorinators for wastewater treatment typically also treat all of the waste that flows through the attached waste stream. However, under current laws and regulations, not all of the waste flowing through waste streams needs to be chlorinated. Generally speaking, the waste transported within waste streams typically comprises septic wastewater and gray wastewater. Septic wastewater is defined as waste that originates from toilet systems and as a result of toilet flushes. Gray wastewater comprises all other wastes originating somewhere other than from toilet systems. Under current laws and regulations, only septic wastewater needs to be treated by a chlorinator and chlorine tablets. Therefore, in order to conserve resources and increase the life of the chlorine tablets, it would be beneficial to the prior art to provide a chlorinator that is selective as to which type of wastewater is chlorinated. Furthermore, the prior art would benefit from a chlorinator that selectively treats septic wastewater but does not treat gray wastewater.
It would further be an improvement of the prior art for the chlorinator to provide a simple and reliable device for detection of low chlorine tablet levels. An additional improvement would be the diversion of water or wastewater being treated either through the physical structure of the chlorinator, or with a system of bypass fluid lines.
Accordingly, the objects of my invention is to provide, inter alia, a chlorinator for liquid fluid treatment systems that:
allows the associated fluid flow to contact the sides of at least one of the chlorine tablets held by the chlorinator;
includes a sensor for detecting when the chlorine supply drops below a pre-determined level, thus activating an alarm upon such detection;
includes a mechanism which ensures that the chlorine tablets slide and do not get lodged to the inside surface of the cylinder portion even after substantial use;
includes a mechanism that does not react with the chlorine tablets thereby enabling the chlorine tablets to retain their relevant treatment properties;
selectively directs the amount of water treated in a swimming pool or like water application;
is selective as to which type of wastewater is chlorinated in an aerobic wastewater treatment system; and
selectively treats septic wastewater but does not treat gray wastewater.
Other objects of my invention will become evident throughout the reading of this application.
My invention is a chlorinator, for water (e.g. as for a swimming pool) or wastewater (e.g. as for an aerobic waste treatment systems), that is in functional attachment with a fluid stream and that includes a plurality of chlorine tablets therein. The chlorinator includes a cylinder portion that has a plurality of openings therethrough providing fluid communication between the fluid stream and the plurality of chlorine tablets so that the fluid stream comes into contact with all surfaces of at least one of the chlorine tablets. The cylinder portion of the chlorinator also includes an inner surface that has a coating that is non-reactive with the chlorine tablets and that enables the chlorine tablets to slide thereon. Alternatively, the entire thickness of the cylinder portion is made of a non-reactive non-stick material, such as polyethylene.
For wastewater treatment, the waste stream comprises septic wastewater, which originates from toilet systems, and gray wastewater, which originates from somewhere other than toilet systems. The chlorinator also includes a means for selectively treating the septic wastewater with the chlorine tablets and not treating the gray wastewater with the chlorine tablets. In the preferred embodiment, means for selectively treating comprises a passageway that provides fluid communication between the upstream side of the waste stream and the base portion of the chlorinator without directing any of the relevant fluid through the cylinder portion.
For treatment of water such as for a swimming pool, the structure may be altered such that all water passing through the inventive device is treated by chlorination, with the amount of water passing through being controlled by a by-pass valve and by-pass line. Alternatively, the structure may be the same as that used in the preferred embodiment for treatment wastewater, such that a pre-determined flow rate allows some of the water to pass across the chlorine tablets, while the rest drops below the tablets in a manner analogous to the graywater described in the treatment of wastewater.